So the last time I boarded was waaaay back in 2001(yeah I'm old). Back then no one wore helmets and we somehow survived. We also weren't pushing the sport as hard as everyone else is now plus didn't have the tech to do so. Anyway would it be in my best interest to use a helmet? If so any recommendations? Now that I think about it that sounds like a pretty stupid question, but I'll pose it regardless.

it would be in your best interest to wear a helmet if you enjoy having a functioning brain =). I have worn a smith maze and i currently wear a sandbox certified brain bucket. I like my sandbox helmet better than the smith. With the smith i wore goggles over helmet and with sandbox i wear goggles under helmet with no beanie.

Helmet use is a total freedom of choice issue. While I seldom wear one, I would always encourage their use but not say you must or that you are crazy if you don't. Just understand that helmet use does not make you invincible and is not a substitute for good judgement and defensive riding.

like some of the others have said - it's a personal choice. I wear a helmet in some situations, but not al. For example, I'll wear a lid if I'm riding the park, or shredding off-piste (rocks, trees etc). I also find that in situations where there's fresh snow, having a helmet on can be a real benefit for your goggles... if you tumble with a beanie on, there's a good chance that your goggles will come off and end up with snow on the inside. Moisture is never a good thing for your goggles. In pretty cold conditions, Fernie, I had the moisture on the inside freeze - I was way out in deep snow and getting it to thaw out wasn't happening any time soon...

Not too long ago I wrote an article looking at the question: should you wear a snowboard helmet?
It includes a look at some of the safety stats - if you're interested, you can read it here.

Not going to get into the helmet debate. I'm just going to give you my personal experiences with and without them.

I rode 3 years without a helmet when I was starting out. This was mainly because I had a real tough time finding ones that fit properly (I have a giant, flat head). I plain gave up looking. I banged my head a few times, the worst being a mild concussion. The concussion incident came from learning jumps. However, all of my other falls came from normal riding. Mind you, a couple were from learning.

I have worn a helmet the past two seasons and am wearing one this season. In the span of wearing the helmet, I had one major spill were it saved me from a lot of damage. I mached down a steep section and came to a flat full speed and didn't notice the huge ice patch in my way. I was starting a butter and caught my toe edge which sent me flying face forward. My goggles and brim of the helmet saved my face. I walked away with a bloody lip. I am 100% positive that without those two pieces of gear, my face would have been messed up. At minimum, I'm sure I would have had a broken nose.

I've had all types of falls in different situations ranging from general cruising to doing tricks. I do live in the Ice Coast so it's a harsher terrain. Overall, I will never ride without one anymore. At first, I found it to be uncomfortable (expected obviously because just wearing a beanie will always be more comfortable). I quickly got adjusted to it and now I don't even realize it's there. It helps that my Smith Variant is really light. There are even lighter helmets out now. This was the same case when I first started wearing goggles too. Uncomfortable at first, but quickly got used to it. Glad I wear both now

Same this as above poster. I was in ski club in highschool, havent ridden for like 5 years. I just went out after starting back up this year, was cruising, did a butter, caught a chunk of ice and wacked my head pretty good. Definite concussion, my neck was sore for a week, I had a headache for 3 days.

So needless to say, I went out and bought a helmet and said I'm too old for this shit. But as stated, it's personal. I for one am just sick of damaging my money maker lol.